Post by jvandyck87 on May 27, 2011 18:18:14 GMT -5
Unfairly carrying the Creed stigma, Alter Bridge set out on their third album to establish themselves as their own entity. With frontman and 2nd guitarist Myles Kennedy more heavily involved in the songwriting this time around, the set's 16 songs take on a darker and more varied tone. While the quartet found success on their debut album One Day Remains, songs like "Open Your Eyes" and "Broken Wings" did little to separate the instrumentalists from their past, as Creed detractors would label them "Creed with a better singer". While the singles off Blackbird continued in this vein, songs such as the opener "Ties That Bind" and the epic title track as well as many others foreshadowed that they were destined for a greater artistic scope, one that they finally fulfill on AB III.
The following is a track-by-track review of the album:
1. "Slip To The Void" - An ominous low-register open-5th synth and a sinister whispered Myles Kennedy vocal begin the album hauntingly...ominous in tone, but auspicious of quality of things to come. Layers of acoustic and electric guitars slowly build onto the synth framework, until the track suddenly kicks in full-throttle, showing off all the band's strengths: layered arrangements of electric guitars, brutal riffs, a Tremonti solo of technical wizardry, and Kennedy's signature belted vocals. A downright creepy opening with a very intense climax make this one of the album's highlights. A
2. "Isolation" - The album's first single, and highest performing single on all rock charts to date, the album's 2nd track establishes to the public for the first time that they shouldn't be expecting "With Arms Wide Open" or "One Last Breath" any time soon from this quartet. Complete with phrygian-dominant Drop-C riffs, guitar solo interlude passages, time signature changes, and a radio-ready chorus of the non-cookie cutter variety...a well-crafted balance of artistry and commercialism bolster the latter half of the album's opening one-two punch. A
3. "Ghost Of Days Gone By" - The album's follow-up single, this gorgeous epic tiptoes the line between power balladry and alternative metaldom with great finesse. The song's soaring chorus and massive/dissonant bridge juxtaposed with a nostalgic cut-time verse combine for a well-rounded heart-wrenching experience. Compositionally and vocally one of the strongest cuts on the album here. A
4. "All Hope Is Gone" - A song of two halves, the first half features an uptempo 6/8 guitar riff that seems to imply the presence rather than the absence of hope. The chorus melody and verse riff are less distinctive than most of the material on the album. However, following the 2nd chorus, the album's most brutal drop-Bb distorted guitar and overdriven bass riff signals the arrival of hopeless desperation, and as the final chorus interweaves with the foreboding bridge riff at the end, it is clear that all hope is indeed gone. A-
5. "Still Remains" - Good opening riff, interesting key change going to the chorus. A decent but not amazing chorus melody. The drum fills in the opening riff are really cool, and the bridge riff feels like something Sevendust could have written during their Animosity era. The verse chord progression provides some harmonic interest as well. Another strong song. B+/A-
6. "Make It Right" - Like "All Hope Is Gone", it features an uptempo 6/8 rhythm. The signature of this song is layered acoustic/electric guitars on arpeggios with interesting guitar voicings and a more streamlined chorus than anything on the album leading up until this point. The bridge riff precedes a "post-bridge" chord progression that becomes a signature of this album as it's used on almost half the songs and by few other artists. Another solid song with a memorable chorus vocal line, but also the song that stands out the least so far from other mainstream rock of any track on the album. B
7. "Wonderful Life" - The opening drum fill and guitar chord sound like something out of a Chevy or Ford truck commercial. This song's balladry and lyrics risk coming across as cheesy, but Tremonti and Kennedy's guitar arrangements and Kennedy's vocal delivery make this song come across on a higher level than almost all other songs that attempt this sound and with more professionalism and earnestness. The ending vocal harmonies over the bridge riff with Kennedy belting "What A Wonderful Life" sell the majesty of the song, something that Scott Stapp dreamed of accomplishing on every dreadful Creed radio hit, but here Alter Bridge's mastery of their craft suggests that it comes easy to them. Still, there are some cliché lyrics and contrived musical choices here that take this song a peg below "Ghost" in the epicness department. B+
8. "I Know It Hurts" - If "Wonderful Life" risks sounding cheesy in the power ballad department, then "I Know It Hurts" succeeds at sounding cheesy in the radio metal department. The opening riff includes an '80s metal minor-3rd guitar harmony that is then repeated in every chorus. Still the tightness of the rhythm section and the vocal melody of the chorus make this a heavy rock guilty pleasure. The bridge/closing riff with the uber-brutal low Bb bass overdrive WOMP to end the song make this a guilty pleasure worth bobbing your head and throwing up your metal horns to. Cheesy? Yes! Awesome? Double Yes! B+/A-
9. "Show Me A Sign" - Following the album's feel good metal anthem comes one of the album's most sophisticated heavy rock tracks. Complete with tubular bells, scalar guitar runs, and a pillar of a riff featuring incredible chord-voicings galore, this tour-de-force of heaviness and beauty is a can't miss track with an emotionally laden chorus and a haunting falsetto vocal ending that ebbs between controlled whispers and visceral cries. The song as a whole evokes both the renaissance and the apocalypse. A near perfect song and in this reviewer's opinion, the album's strongest cut. A/A+
10. "Fallout" - As "Show Me A Sign" is a tough track to follow, the group doesn't try to match it in epicness and instead follows with one of the catchiest uptempo songs on the album. The song rocks hard and doesn't try to do too much. The 80's metal harmonies return in the bridge following a feel-good hard rock chorus. If Alter Bridge wants to play it safe, this song would do just fine at radio, but judging by their selections so far, they may have higher aims. Still, a strong bridge riff and vocal harmonies on the chorus make this a highly likable albeit somewhat derivative song. B+
11. "Breathe Again" - The weakest track thus far on the album. While the low bass groove is nice, the guitar chords and chorus just aren't as strong as any of the songs that came before it. This sounds like it could have been a single off one of the first two Alter Bridge albums, which happened to be their weakest tracks (it sounds especially like "Before Tomorrow Comes"). With the exception of yet another inspired bridge (the notes Kennedy hits here are UNREAL with an awesome guitar riff as well), the song retreads old ground, and the fact that it's also regressing to a lower quality further diminishes its intrigue. It's not a bad song, but it's certainly one of the first songs that could have been left off this 14-track affair (16 if you count the bonus tracks). Not bad, but far from awesome. B-
12. "Coeur D'Alene" - One of the darkest and heaviest tracks on the album. The forboding intro guitar line kicks into a massive riff, followed by a sinister verse with clean and distorted guitar chords galore. The chorus does not feature one of Kennedy's more inspired vocal lines and the chorus features their overused Alter Bridge signature chord progression. This song still has a tremendous impact in the final homestretch of the album, and is one of its stronger tracks in spite of a relatively lackluster chorus. A-/A
13. "Life Must Go On" - The album's weakest track. The intro sounds like a Weathered-era Creed clean guitar intro. The band kicks into a classic ballady 6/8 with somewhat interesting chord voicings and a verse that fits the mold just fine. However, the chorus is excruciatingly cliché and done-before to the extent that not even Kennedy's voice can save this from sounding like a Creed relapse (and a bad Creed song at that, as I'll be the first to admit that Creed had their handful of good songs). Now that we know that they're capable of so much more, it makes it all the more unbearable that they occasionally produce this insipid drivel. C-
14. "Words Darker Than Their Wings" - The album's closing track, this song screams "Blackbird" pt. II. It is every bit as epic, every bit as beautifully arranged, and every bit as well-performed. One of the album's strongest tracks in every respect, Alter Bridge follows their most mediocre effort with one of the best of their career. This song is a shining example of why Alter Bridge deserves every rocker and even every Creed detractor's respect. Mark Tremonti's pre-chorus vocals and chorus vocal harmonies provide an interesting contrast to Kennedy's and make this duet all the more salient. The guitar arpeggios in the intro are absolutely stunning and the notes Kennedy hits at the end are simply inhuman, and even insanely high for a soprano rock singer like Amy Lee or Lzzy Hale. "Words Darker Than Their Wings" is simply a rock songwriting and performance clinic.A
-------------------Bonus Tracks-----------------------
15. "Zero" - An uptempo rocker in 6/8 time, it's a fine song in its own right, but it's also quite clear why this was a bonus track. It does little to stand out from the pack. This song is Alter Bridge by numbers, and while it has a fine riff, a fine chorus, a fine vocal performance, and a fine instrumental performance...that's true of most Alter Bridge songs, so there's not much more to say about it. B
16. "Home" - An awesome mid-tempo rock song that should have made the record, but really emphasized the word BONUS in bonus tracks. The guitar layering here is immaculate and the rhythm section drives this song especially well. This could have replaced nearly any song on the album, and it would have made the record just as good or better. It also works nicely as a second closer after the rightful "Words Darker Than Their Wings" as if this song closes the two-song encore of the set. A very impressive way to round everything out. A-/A
Overall: 4.2/5
Standout tracks: Show Me A Sign, Words Darker Than Their Wings, Slip To The Void, Isolation, Ghost Of Days Gone By
The following is a track-by-track review of the album:
1. "Slip To The Void" - An ominous low-register open-5th synth and a sinister whispered Myles Kennedy vocal begin the album hauntingly...ominous in tone, but auspicious of quality of things to come. Layers of acoustic and electric guitars slowly build onto the synth framework, until the track suddenly kicks in full-throttle, showing off all the band's strengths: layered arrangements of electric guitars, brutal riffs, a Tremonti solo of technical wizardry, and Kennedy's signature belted vocals. A downright creepy opening with a very intense climax make this one of the album's highlights. A
2. "Isolation" - The album's first single, and highest performing single on all rock charts to date, the album's 2nd track establishes to the public for the first time that they shouldn't be expecting "With Arms Wide Open" or "One Last Breath" any time soon from this quartet. Complete with phrygian-dominant Drop-C riffs, guitar solo interlude passages, time signature changes, and a radio-ready chorus of the non-cookie cutter variety...a well-crafted balance of artistry and commercialism bolster the latter half of the album's opening one-two punch. A
3. "Ghost Of Days Gone By" - The album's follow-up single, this gorgeous epic tiptoes the line between power balladry and alternative metaldom with great finesse. The song's soaring chorus and massive/dissonant bridge juxtaposed with a nostalgic cut-time verse combine for a well-rounded heart-wrenching experience. Compositionally and vocally one of the strongest cuts on the album here. A
4. "All Hope Is Gone" - A song of two halves, the first half features an uptempo 6/8 guitar riff that seems to imply the presence rather than the absence of hope. The chorus melody and verse riff are less distinctive than most of the material on the album. However, following the 2nd chorus, the album's most brutal drop-Bb distorted guitar and overdriven bass riff signals the arrival of hopeless desperation, and as the final chorus interweaves with the foreboding bridge riff at the end, it is clear that all hope is indeed gone. A-
5. "Still Remains" - Good opening riff, interesting key change going to the chorus. A decent but not amazing chorus melody. The drum fills in the opening riff are really cool, and the bridge riff feels like something Sevendust could have written during their Animosity era. The verse chord progression provides some harmonic interest as well. Another strong song. B+/A-
6. "Make It Right" - Like "All Hope Is Gone", it features an uptempo 6/8 rhythm. The signature of this song is layered acoustic/electric guitars on arpeggios with interesting guitar voicings and a more streamlined chorus than anything on the album leading up until this point. The bridge riff precedes a "post-bridge" chord progression that becomes a signature of this album as it's used on almost half the songs and by few other artists. Another solid song with a memorable chorus vocal line, but also the song that stands out the least so far from other mainstream rock of any track on the album. B
7. "Wonderful Life" - The opening drum fill and guitar chord sound like something out of a Chevy or Ford truck commercial. This song's balladry and lyrics risk coming across as cheesy, but Tremonti and Kennedy's guitar arrangements and Kennedy's vocal delivery make this song come across on a higher level than almost all other songs that attempt this sound and with more professionalism and earnestness. The ending vocal harmonies over the bridge riff with Kennedy belting "What A Wonderful Life" sell the majesty of the song, something that Scott Stapp dreamed of accomplishing on every dreadful Creed radio hit, but here Alter Bridge's mastery of their craft suggests that it comes easy to them. Still, there are some cliché lyrics and contrived musical choices here that take this song a peg below "Ghost" in the epicness department. B+
8. "I Know It Hurts" - If "Wonderful Life" risks sounding cheesy in the power ballad department, then "I Know It Hurts" succeeds at sounding cheesy in the radio metal department. The opening riff includes an '80s metal minor-3rd guitar harmony that is then repeated in every chorus. Still the tightness of the rhythm section and the vocal melody of the chorus make this a heavy rock guilty pleasure. The bridge/closing riff with the uber-brutal low Bb bass overdrive WOMP to end the song make this a guilty pleasure worth bobbing your head and throwing up your metal horns to. Cheesy? Yes! Awesome? Double Yes! B+/A-
9. "Show Me A Sign" - Following the album's feel good metal anthem comes one of the album's most sophisticated heavy rock tracks. Complete with tubular bells, scalar guitar runs, and a pillar of a riff featuring incredible chord-voicings galore, this tour-de-force of heaviness and beauty is a can't miss track with an emotionally laden chorus and a haunting falsetto vocal ending that ebbs between controlled whispers and visceral cries. The song as a whole evokes both the renaissance and the apocalypse. A near perfect song and in this reviewer's opinion, the album's strongest cut. A/A+
10. "Fallout" - As "Show Me A Sign" is a tough track to follow, the group doesn't try to match it in epicness and instead follows with one of the catchiest uptempo songs on the album. The song rocks hard and doesn't try to do too much. The 80's metal harmonies return in the bridge following a feel-good hard rock chorus. If Alter Bridge wants to play it safe, this song would do just fine at radio, but judging by their selections so far, they may have higher aims. Still, a strong bridge riff and vocal harmonies on the chorus make this a highly likable albeit somewhat derivative song. B+
11. "Breathe Again" - The weakest track thus far on the album. While the low bass groove is nice, the guitar chords and chorus just aren't as strong as any of the songs that came before it. This sounds like it could have been a single off one of the first two Alter Bridge albums, which happened to be their weakest tracks (it sounds especially like "Before Tomorrow Comes"). With the exception of yet another inspired bridge (the notes Kennedy hits here are UNREAL with an awesome guitar riff as well), the song retreads old ground, and the fact that it's also regressing to a lower quality further diminishes its intrigue. It's not a bad song, but it's certainly one of the first songs that could have been left off this 14-track affair (16 if you count the bonus tracks). Not bad, but far from awesome. B-
12. "Coeur D'Alene" - One of the darkest and heaviest tracks on the album. The forboding intro guitar line kicks into a massive riff, followed by a sinister verse with clean and distorted guitar chords galore. The chorus does not feature one of Kennedy's more inspired vocal lines and the chorus features their overused Alter Bridge signature chord progression. This song still has a tremendous impact in the final homestretch of the album, and is one of its stronger tracks in spite of a relatively lackluster chorus. A-/A
13. "Life Must Go On" - The album's weakest track. The intro sounds like a Weathered-era Creed clean guitar intro. The band kicks into a classic ballady 6/8 with somewhat interesting chord voicings and a verse that fits the mold just fine. However, the chorus is excruciatingly cliché and done-before to the extent that not even Kennedy's voice can save this from sounding like a Creed relapse (and a bad Creed song at that, as I'll be the first to admit that Creed had their handful of good songs). Now that we know that they're capable of so much more, it makes it all the more unbearable that they occasionally produce this insipid drivel. C-
14. "Words Darker Than Their Wings" - The album's closing track, this song screams "Blackbird" pt. II. It is every bit as epic, every bit as beautifully arranged, and every bit as well-performed. One of the album's strongest tracks in every respect, Alter Bridge follows their most mediocre effort with one of the best of their career. This song is a shining example of why Alter Bridge deserves every rocker and even every Creed detractor's respect. Mark Tremonti's pre-chorus vocals and chorus vocal harmonies provide an interesting contrast to Kennedy's and make this duet all the more salient. The guitar arpeggios in the intro are absolutely stunning and the notes Kennedy hits at the end are simply inhuman, and even insanely high for a soprano rock singer like Amy Lee or Lzzy Hale. "Words Darker Than Their Wings" is simply a rock songwriting and performance clinic.A
-------------------Bonus Tracks-----------------------
15. "Zero" - An uptempo rocker in 6/8 time, it's a fine song in its own right, but it's also quite clear why this was a bonus track. It does little to stand out from the pack. This song is Alter Bridge by numbers, and while it has a fine riff, a fine chorus, a fine vocal performance, and a fine instrumental performance...that's true of most Alter Bridge songs, so there's not much more to say about it. B
16. "Home" - An awesome mid-tempo rock song that should have made the record, but really emphasized the word BONUS in bonus tracks. The guitar layering here is immaculate and the rhythm section drives this song especially well. This could have replaced nearly any song on the album, and it would have made the record just as good or better. It also works nicely as a second closer after the rightful "Words Darker Than Their Wings" as if this song closes the two-song encore of the set. A very impressive way to round everything out. A-/A
Overall: 4.2/5
Standout tracks: Show Me A Sign, Words Darker Than Their Wings, Slip To The Void, Isolation, Ghost Of Days Gone By
